Wide open spaces and big sky greeted us as we crossed from Ontario into Manitoba. The change in landscape was quite dramatic. From hilly and somewhat winding roads to a flat and straight Trans-Canada Highway.

The stop in Winnipeg was a pre-scheduled appointment to get the van in for service. While the van was being serviced, we ventured downtown and toured the city. One of the must sees in Winnipeg is ¨The Forks¨ - a combination of public spaces, walking trails along the Red and Assiniboine Rivers and an indoor market featuring an eclectic mix of food and arts. Luckily the day was clear and pleasant for walking.

With the work that had to be done to the van, Winnipeg ended up being an expensive stop. It turned out that the intermittent charging problem we had experienced in the East was caused by a malfunctioning alternator

. The mechanic was a great guy, and the shop did a thorough job of fixing the van. Each time we have had the van serviced a problem has been fixed. There´s just one left, hesitation at highway speeds, which hopefully the next mechanic in Calgary can solve.

Driving into Saskatchewan, it almost felt like the landscape was even more flat, if that was possible. The huge expanse of sky and space has its own beauty - miles and miles of sky that seems to have no end. Its been a cool couple of days - about 5 celcius during the day and close to freezing overnight. We are making good use of our portable heater!

We pulled up to a campsite outside of Regina, which had one of the best or at least warmest bathrooms and showers. The showers cost a loonie, but being located in a heated building made it worth it.

The next day we drove the 40 kilometers to the home of Corner Gas, Dog River...actually Rouleau, Saskatchewan. Unfortunately when we arrived we saw the set of Corner Gas being dismantled, since the show has ended filming its last season. We stopped at a cafe in town which was the site of the Dog River RCMP office, and got to see some of the locals in the town. We also visited an orthotic facility, Spalding Orthopedic Design Inc., which was the location of the grocery store for Corner Gas. Clayton and his technician gave us a tour of the shop.

We then spent a bit of time in Moose Jaw, home of Al Capones rum running caves,and then headed into downtown Regina, where Bobbie found a take-out Indian restaurant for our dinner.

Comments

thanks for the note Hi Sue. Nice to hear from you! We are nearing the end of our Canadian adventure as we approach the West Coast. Hope things are going well back in Ottawa...haven´t thought much about work since leaving...a good thing.